‘We’ve come here to win’: Snubbed Georgia aim to seize global respect by rolling Wallabies

Georgia coach Richard Cockerill has delivered a passionate plea for World Rugby to create another seat at rugby’s top table for an aspirational team he believes is viewed as a “pain in the arse” and “an inconvenience” by the game’s bosses and leading nations.

The worrying part for the Wallabies in all of this? After years of being turned away, Georgia believe their best chance of gaining respect and recognition is to seize it by force – otherwise known as beating tier one nations.

And after downing Japan in Japan last week, the Georgians are intent on pulling off an all-time upset over the Wallabies on Saturday afternoon at Allianz Stadium.

“We’ve come here to win, we’ve not come here to make the numbers up or keep the score down, so we’ve got to go full throttle and have a go,” Cockerill said.

“Whether that’s realistic enough and we’re good enough, we’ll find out on Saturday. Every time we win against a team that’s above us then that gives us credibility for us to keep going to World Rugby to say ‘well look, we need to fit somewhere’. Winning on Saturday would be probably our biggest victory ever.”

It would probably rank as Wallabies’ biggest defeat, too – at least in the world rankings era.

Giorgi Javakhia of Georgia running against Fiji three weeks ago.Credit: Getty Images

With many of their players based in the French professional leagues, Georgia are rated no.12 in the world, which is the same ranking as Italy when the Azzuri infamously rolled the Wallabies in Florence in 2022. And 10th-ranked Samoa beating the world no.2 Wallabies in 2011 would be a bigger margin by ranking points.

But an upset by Georgia over the Wallabies would be monumental. And Cockerill, a pugnacious former England hooker, is quick to point out the pressure on a Wallabies side with 17 changes from last week.

Richard Cockerill joined Georgia after being fired by Montpellier.Credit: Getty Images

“The pressure is on Australia,” Cockerill said. “They’re expected to win, aren’t they? So that’s perfect for us, we can turn up and we can play our game and all the pressure’s on them.

“If they pick a mixed team, well, that puts them under other pressures, but they’re still expected to win, so it’s great for us.”

Georgia are a nation of fighters, and they’ve found a kindred spirit in new coach Cockerill, who took over in January. Having played and coached at Leicester, Cockerill is best remembered for his haka confrontation with All Blacks hooker Norm Hewitt, who sadly passed away this week.

Cockerill is ready and willing to take up the fight for Los Lelos to get a fair go in world rugby.

Despite being increasingly competitive at Rugby World Cups and against tier one nations – they’ve beaten Italy, Wales and Japan in the last two years – Georgia is stuck in a no-man’s land, as victims of global rugby politics.

Though dominant in Europe, Georgia have been repeatedly rebuffed when asking to join the Six Nations. As such, they won’t be part of the new 12-team Nations Cup competition due to start in 2026 with the Six Nations teams and six from the south: the Rugby Championship teams, and Fiji and Japan.

Mark Nawaqanitawase is tackled by Georgia’s Tornike Jalagonia during last year’s Rugby World Cup.Credit: Getty

There will be a parallel tier two competition for developing nations, but there’s no promotion-relegation planned until 2032, meaning aspirant nations like Georgia may not play any tier one Test rivals away from World Cups.

“We’re at that point now where we’re sort of too good for Rugby Europe, but no one seems to want to make space for us somewhere else,” Cockerill said.

“So every time we beat Japan, whatever the circumstances, it’s something to say: ‘Well actually, look, they’re allowed to go and do this, but what about us?’

“We’re a rugby nation and we need some oxygen to keep going. But we’re sort of an inconvenience aren’t we? Because well, shit, they could actually do with some help here, but actually they’re a bit of a pain in the arse, that’s how we’re getting treated.

“Even the Nations Cup is 30-31 [until promotion-relegation] so we’re not going to play any tier one teams every other year. When we finish the World Cup there’s just over 40 games until the next World Cup and 75 per cent of those will be against Tier 2 teams.

“So how do we improve while you can’t play teams that are better than you? Argentina, when they first started, they were the whipping boys and now they’re real contenders. We need that opportunity.”

Cockerill said he hopes Georgia can be treated like Italy and given a chance to join the Six Nations, and for their main domestic team, the Black Lions, to join the United Rugby Championships competition, which has teams from Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Italy and South Africa.

Beating the Wallabies would be the biggest possible demonstration of why Georgia need to join the big boys, Cockerill believes.

But as a former member of Eddie Jones’ England staff, Cockerill understands more than most what was really going on in the madcap camp Wallaby last year – so he doesn’t buy the “Australian rugby is in a nosedive” narrative.

“I came here two years ago with England and we had a real hell of a Test series. They’re a good side, I don’t care what’s happened to Australia in the last 12 months or so. Joe’s a great coach, Australia have got a lot of good players and I think they’ll come through and recover very quickly.

“If we get it right and you don’t treat us with the respect that you should, you could lose. That was Italy, that was Wales. If you don’t get it right against Georgia they’ll beat you. Now everybody’s got the shits when they play us - we’re hard to beat.”

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